(AKRON, OH) - Bobby Bradley socked a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie, and Henry Martinez slammed the door in the ninth for his sixth save, as the RubberDucks captured a 3-2 victory over the Hartford Yard Goats Thursday night at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio.

Turning Point

Bradley led off the bottom of the eighth inning against New Philadelphia native Logan Cozart (4-2) and walloped a solo homer into the terrace in right field, to give the RubberDucks a 3-2 lead. It was Bradley's third hit of the night and his team-high 12thhomer of the year.

Mound Presence

Right-hander Jake Paulson worked 6.2 innings and fanned a career-high nine hitters. He made two mistake pitches, however, to Hartford's Roberto Ramos who belted a pair of solo homers. Ramos' second of the game came in the seventh inning and tied the game, 2-2. Lefty David Speer (1-2) came in after Paulson and stranded a pair of runners in the seventh and then tossed a scoreless eighth to pick up his first win of the season. Speer has not allowed a run in his last 12 innings. Martinez worked around a walk and single in the ninth to pick up his sixth save in six chances.

Duck Tales

Connor Marabell homered in the first inning off Hartford starter Jesus Tinoco. It was his seventh of the year. Sicnarf Loopstok slugged a RBI double in the second to make it 2-0. Bradley finished 3-4, with a single and double to go along with his home run. Willi Castro also had three hits.

Notebook

The RubberDucks (41-31) won two of three games against the Yard Goats...The Ducks gained a game on 2nd-place Harrisburg, and now lead the Senators by 2 ½ games...Akron has been in 1stplace in the EL West since May 4th...Hartford (34-37) will continue their road trip at Binghamton...Time of game: 2:29 ... Attendance: 4,563.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks will continue the homestand on Friday night at 7:05 when they play the first of three games against the Harrisburg Senators. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App.